30 Largest ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds)

ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are introduced to investors since 1990. The first fund was launched in Canada. Nowadays, there are more than 1,500 ETFs. Most of the ETFs are index funds; they are tracking their index benchmark such as S&P 500, NASDAQ 100, FTSE, MSCI, etc.

More ETFs mean more tools for investors trying to diversify their portfolios and profit from targeted industry trends. Traded like stocks, you can buy or sell ETFs from stock market or exchange like NYSE or NASDAQ.

As a prospective buyer, you need to ask whether you should invest in the biggest and most popular closed end funds. Are these popular closed end funds really worth your money? The answer isn’t as easy to find as you might think. You can find many companies which provide ratings on closed end funds including Morningstar, Money, US News, Kiplinger, Forbes, etc.

Popular ETFs for Investment

The 30 largest ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are:

1. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) $171B
2. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) $61B
3. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) $55B
4. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) $50B
5. PowerShares QQQ (QQQ) $46B
6. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) $46B
7. Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ) $45B
8. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) $44B

Best Stocks Week 36, 2014: Aluminum & Wireless Communication

Find top industry stocks of week 36 of 2014. Top stock industries are aluminum, wireless communication, etc.

Top Stocks

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, and sector. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of 0.24%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of 0.06%. Dow Jones Industrials Average has a weekly return of 0.25%. The small cap (Russell 2000) has a return of -0.35%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 36, 2014 (September 1, 2014 – September 7, 2014) are:

1. Music & Video Stores 10.94%
2. Aluminum 8.32%
3. Toy & Hobby Stores 8.04%
4. Research Services 7.69%
5. Internet Service Providers 5.46%
6. Wireless Communications 4.31%
7. Drug Stores 3.91%
8. Paper & Paper Products 3.86%
9. Recreational Goods, Other 3.73%
10. Healthcare Information Services 3.45%

Ad of Putnam Funds: Alternative Mutual Fund

Find alternative mutual funds offered by Putnam Funds include Putnam Absolute Return Funds, Putnam Diversified Income Trust, etc.

Popular Putnam Mutual Funds

Putnam mutual funds are provided by Putnam Investments. Putnam has $156 billion in assets under management. There are 80 mutual funds and 50 institutional strategies across a range of assets classes and investment styles.

Top 5 popular funds include Putnam Capital Spectrum Fund, Putnam Diversified Income Trust, Putnam Equity Spectrum Fund, Putnam Equity Income Fund, and Putnam Dynamic Asset Allocation Balanced Fund. These mutual funds can be invested in your brokerage account, 401k plan, retirement account (Roth IRA & traditional IRA).

You can find an investment ad by Putnam as follows:

Alternatives@Putnam 

Markets demand new ways of thinking. 

Discover Putnam’s proactive approach to managing volatility and pursuing superior results. 

Robert L. Reynolds 

President and CEO, Putnam Investments 

With today’s volatility, simply beating a benchmark may not be enough. Take a targeted approach. Putnam Absolute Return Funds 100 (PARTX), 300 (PTRNX), 500 (PJMDX), 700 (PDMAX) 

When economic factors weigh on an index, individual companies can offer opportunity. Pursue the best ideas, wherever they are. Putnam Capital Spectrum Fund (PVSAX), Putnam Equity Spectrum Fund (PYSAX)

20 Largest Mutual Funds

Most investors may have invested in mutual funds through their brokerage or retirement account (IRA or 401k plan). More than 50% of American households own a mutual fund. The stock market or bond market aren’t going away anytime soon – but it’s certainly one that investors can and should be a lot smarter about if they pick to keep mutual funds in their portfolios.

As a prospective buyer, you need to ask whether you should invest in the biggest and most popular mutual funds. Are these popular mutual funds really worth your money? The answer isn’t as easy to find as you might think. You can find many companies which provide ratings on mutual funds including Morningstar, US News, Lipper, Forbes, Money, Kiplinger, etc.

Popular Mutual Funds for Investment

The top 20 largest mutual funds are:

1. Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSMX) - $343 billion
2. PIMCO Total Return Fund (PTTAX) - $223 billion
3. Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VFINX) - $176 billion
4. American Funds Growth Fund of America Fund (AGTHX) - $139 billion
5. Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund (VGTSX) - $129 billion
6. American Funds Europacific Growth Fund (AEPGX) - $125 billion
7. Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund (VBMFX) - $119 billion
8. Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX) - $106 billion
9. Franklin Income Fund (FKINX) - $94 billion
10. American Funds Capital Income Builder Fund (CAIBX) - $94 billion

Principal Mutual Funds for Retirement Account

Find top Principal mutual funds for your retirement account. The mutual funds include Principal Global Real Estate Securities Fund, Principal LifeTime 2010 Fund, etc.

Principal Funds

Principal Financial Group (PFG) is a global financial services company.  It is offering a wide range of financial services including retirement solutions, insurance, investment, planning center, financial, and banking products. It offers mutual funds, annuities, saving accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs) in its investment business. The mutual funds are offered from its Principal Funds arm.

Should you invest in your brokerage, retirement, or 401(k) account? Find my fund review below. Select the best funds for your investing account or long term account. I provide various aspects of review including fund performance, expense fee, sales load, etc.

The investment ad by Principal is as follows:

We won the awards. 

You got the results. 

Lipper Fund Awards 2013 United States 

Top Asset Class 

Best Mixed-Asset Fund Manager over the 3-year period 

Among 40 Firms in the Large Company Category 

Top Individual Funds 

Principal Global Real Estate Securities Fund – Class I (POSIX)
Best Global Real Estate Fund over the 5-year period

Top Stocks Week 35, 2014: Research Services & Oil Exploration

Find top industry stocks of week 35 of 2014. Top stock industries are oil & gas drilling & exploration, research services, etc.

Best Stocks

This post will look into the top performing stocks, industry, and sector. The S&P 500 index has a weekly return of 0.80%. NASDAQ Composite has a weekly return of 0.92%. Dow Jones Industrials Average has a weekly return of 0.63%. The small cap (Russell 2000) has a return of 1.24%.

Best weekly performance of industry stocks of week 35, 2014 (August 25, 2014 – August 31, 2014) are:

1. Photographic Equipment & Supplies - 23.50%
2. Oil & Gas Drilling & Exploration - 7.90%
3. Research Services - 7.36%
4. Healthcare Information Services - 4.83%
5. Foreign Regional Banks - 4.80%
6. Jewelry Stores - 4.16%
7. Biotechnology - 3.87%
8. Diversified Computer Systems - 3.59%
9. Meat Products - 3.47%
10. Water Utilities - 3.18%
11. Tobacco Products, Other - 3.01%
12. Toy & Hobby Stores - 3.00%

Top Investment Grade Bond Closed End Funds

Investment grade bond closed end funds invest mainly in high quality fixed income. These funds may invest in U.S. bonds and foreign bonds depending on the fund’s objective.

Popular Fixed Income Funds

Closed end funds are traded like stocks and ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). These investment grade bond funds invest in corporate as well as government debts. Some may provide high yield income for investors.

The top performing list is sorted based on its year to date performance in 2014. You can find the fund review, performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, fund’s NAV, management, leverage, fund’s sponsor, premium/discount info, etc.

Top investment grade bond closed end funds are:

1. PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity (PTY) – 14.34%
2. Guggenheim Credit Allocation Fund (GGM) – 12.51%
3. PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy (PCN) – 12.41%
4. Invesco Bond Fund (VBF)
5. JH Investors Trust (JHI)
6. MS Income Securities (ICB)
7. Cutwater Select Income Fund (CSI)
8. Western Asset IG Defined Opp (IGI)
9. Western Asset Global Corp Defined Opp (GDO)
10. BlackRock Credit Allocation Income (BTZ)